The EU Is More Worried About Italy Than Brexit

One of the mantras in the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union was that the country needed to escape a continent in disarray. Leading Brexit backer Michael Gove pointed to Europe’s sluggish economy and the burden of the Greek financial crisis. He even suggested that the EU had jeopardized security by letting in terrorists. By wresting back control of its borders and trade, Britain could “show the rest of Europe the way to flourish,” he said.

Two and a half years later, the rest of Europe is watching as the biggest political crisis in Britain’s post-imperial era unfolds. The economy has taken a hit since the 2016 referendum and is now growing more slowly than the euro region. British Prime Minister Theresa May is clinging to her job as she tries to push through a Brexit deal that’s been pounded by many in her own party for capitulating to Europe’s demands. The government in London is figuring out how to keep food and medical supplies flowing if the country falls out of the EU’s seamless customs market without a divorce agreement. In short, it’s hard to overestimate the humbling mess now on the other side of the channel.